Guitarist John Cruppe of Fallen Angel has posted the following statement online about his recent health issues and the current status of the band:

"This is an open letter to all fans, friends, and family members to the New York based heavy metal band Fallen Angel. I am entitling this letter 'THE DAY I FELL' or maybe even more appropriate, 'WHAT DID YOU GET FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY THIS YEAR?'

"My name is John Cruppe and I am the founder and co-lead guitarist of Fallen Angel, and I wanted to address everything going on in our circle currently. There are a lot of rumors floating about and I wanted to set the record straight now that I can. So let me start by asking a simple question. What did you get for your Birthday this year? Was it something great and did everyone you wanted to remember it remember your day, or were you forgotten in the shuffle and disappointed? Either way let me just say that I would trade with any of you in a flash if given the opportunity.

"My Birthday is May 2nd and within ten days of it I was told I had been diagnosed with a cystic tumor on my brain stem that needed to be surgically removed immediately. They said there was nothing I could have done differently to avoid this and that they only saw a few of these over the course of a year on the norm. Prior to being properly diagnosed my primary physician and his partner [Meloni / Marino] advised me that my symptoms [numbing across entire left side of body, constant headaches and more] did not warrant an MRI even though I requested one, and in their infinite wisdom prescribed a series of B-12 shots and for me to take Aleve a couple times a day. This lasted for about six weeks prior to my official diagnosis, which ultimately led to my surgery on May 31st 2012.

"They wasted six weeks of valuable time as I suffered daily with these symptoms. They only started to take me seriously after I admitted myself into Emergency due to my symptoms becoming even more severe. Sounds like a pretty pathetic turn of events if you ask me. Soon after, my diagnosis became official, and the fear of dying or becoming paralyzed from the surgery sent me into a whirlpool of emotion that was nearly impossible to cope with as you might suspect if you were in my shoes. I was shuffled through Neurologists and Neurosurgeons until finally I was paired up with Dr. Walter at Strong Hospital. In my opinion this man is a genius with picture perfect bedside manner.

"He scheduled my surgery within a week of meeting me and performed it magnificently and I owe him a great debt of thanks as I do the wonderful nursing staff at Strong who cared for me following my operation. These people were incredible and deserve their names to be mentioned more than you might think, Marlee, Liz, Stacy, Julia, Anthony, DeShaun, Justin, Lisa, Heather, and of course little old Elaine … I thank you all for your exceptional care and talents in the medical field. One person on the list [Marlee] needs an extra mention, as that person cared for me like an angel for my first two days in recovery, and on the 3rd day we discovered that we were actually third cousins who had never met prior [we learned that my Grandfather was her Great Grandmother’s brother]. I cannot tell you how much that information staggered me, as I lied there helpless in bed.

"After 8 days secluded in recovery I was released only to be rushed back to the hospital on the following day in fear I had a blood clot forming inside of me, which did turn out to be negative thankfully. I would sincerely like to thank everyone who sent positive thoughts, prayers, and good wishes leading into and through my entire surgery, as they are very much appreciated, and I would like to give my wife as much praise as possible for standing strongly beside me and supporting me through this whole ordeal. I love you, Tammy.

"So now I sit here typing this letter to you single handedly following my crisis, which brings me to my next topic, residual effects of the surgery and the status of Fallen Angel. You should all be aware that I was told prior to surgery that there would be residual effects following the surgery and rehab would be required for my left arm and leg, which has become a reality. There are also a few other residual effects but the most annoying is 8 solid days of chronic – non-stop hiccups causing me sleepless nights and making it very hard to rest. Hopefully this will all pass soon and I will be back to a sense of normalcy.

"Seeing as all shows planned for this summer will have to be postponed including the show at Rochester’s Montage Music Hall that was scheduled for July 28th, all I can do is ask you for your patience and support until I am back to 100%. On a good note, we will continue recording our next cd, which will be entitled 'Fallen Angel II – Cast Out of Heaven.' The companion novel is nearly complete and we also have 5 or more tracks worked out for the 3rd cd as well. So on that note I will end this update hoping you can all understand the situation and that we can attain your support. Steve, Frankie, Jim, Bob and I thank you all in advance and we plan to be Kicking Ass with you all as soon as possible! Keep The Faith True Believers!"